I have a 17 year old Arabian mare who I have owned since she was 11. While she was pregnant 2 years ago, she got cast in her stall... she was there for God knows how long... we left at 11 am and another boarder got there at 1 pm and heard her thrashing. She called my trainer, trainer immediately called the vet and we had her palpated to make sure the foal was fine (he was). When she had him however, she twisted her pelvis and that is the first time I noticed this bump on her spine. Now.. I had the chiro out 3 times that summer to set her pelvis straight and that is back to normal, but the bump still exists.

I really didn't think too much of it because I had a horrible boarding experience that year just previous to finding my current trainer that left her underweight with no muscle and no fat. And because she was pregnant and then later nursing, she wasn't gaining a lot of weight (although she was more than properly fed - all the hay she wanted ((good quality alfalfa/grass mix)) plus 2 scoops of my trainers grain mix ((consisting of molasses, corn, alfalfa pellets, oats etc - basically a fancy 12% formula made for her by MSU)) 2x a day, and 1 scoop Buckeye Growth plus a Mare Care supplement) and just assumed it was her lack of conditioning on her topline that made her spine more visible.

Months go by, colt is sold and leaves and she FINALLY starts putting weight on. We get her in tip-top shape and she's looking great, but I remember the bump still being there. She's being ridden constantly by the lesson kids, and has always been a bit cinchy so again, I don't pay attention to it, but now looking back I am wondering if she was trying to tell me she was in pain. She was still regularly seeing the chiro, and the chiro didn't say anything about it so I just let it go.

So.. fast forward to last spring, I get myself into a bind.. owning 2 horses, one of which was a stallion, and boarding was putting me pretty deep into the hole. So my mother offers to pair up with my ex-4H leader (and dear friend of the family) and lease her to breed to her Gypsy Vanner stallion (it sounds weird I know, but the cross is actually pretty cool). She leaves in tip-top shape (have photos to prove), and I leave to move to Chicago for what I thought would be a year or more.

I come back in December and see that she's a.) ribby b.) has NO muscle tone what-so-ever c.) has the dullest coat I have ever seen on a horse. So of course, I flip my sh!t on my 4-H leader who was the one feeding her and talked my mom into supplying high quality alfalfa mix and grain (Tribute Kalm-N-Ez bc the mill close to them didn't sell Buckeye and I don't like Purina products) and she starts putting weight back on right away. Then, this spring my mom breaks her ankle, and they are worried that no one will be able to work with the foal etc since the 4-H leader was due to be at Fair the week she was due. I agree to take her back so I can foal her out at my trainers and when I pick her up, she is still 50-75lbs less than what she was when she arrived, with little muscle tone or fat. A lot better than she was in December, but not nearly where I wanted her. Immediately my trainer and I start shoveling hay in front of her, she was a month and half out from foaling and knowing her history, we wanted to try and get as much of a jump start on her weight as possible.

She's now eating 2 bales of high quality alfalfa-timothy mix a day, plus 1 scoop of the 12% MSU mixed grain with 1 scoop Buckeye Growth in the a.m. with Platinum Performance and Purina Amplify added and topped with Mega-Sel, and then 1 scoop of each grain at night. If I am working that day I will swing by and toss her another 1/2 scoop of Buckeye mid-day.. and it's working pretty well, but she still has no muscle tone.. so..

(Finally, sorry for rambling) my question is.. is this bump something to be concerned about? Should I have it x-rayed? Or is it just because she is unconditioned right now that this is so prominent?

My plans after this colt is sold is to put her back to work and show her next year, but I will first spend a month or so getting the weight back on her completely (although Amplify is really making a difference quickly) and then I plan on long-lining her for the first 30 days or so to get some muscle back on her first.

And before someone gets nasty.. bc I know how forums are... I am NOT planning on breeding her again. I thought she had a hard time with the last foal with her weight bc of the situation she was in with a boarding facility who didn't feed her properly, but this time I am convinced she just puts everything into her foals and although that makes her a rock star of a producer, it takes too much out of her. So, retired she is after this guy is weaned. She'll be my show pony instead

Another vote for getting a vet out to assess what is going on, preferably one who deals in the skeletal and muscular systems. Your best bet would be to take her to a teaching veterinary university where they have vets who specialize in diagnosis and are up on the latest treatments and also have the best equipment available.

If your lactating mare is loosing condition or underweight, feed more energy, however you can.
No excuses. None. Some mammals milk more than others, some pour every ounce of fat and protein and energy they have.
So, feed them more, SAFELY. Drastic weight loss is not good for a new mom.
Other than that. . . I will not say anything.

Wow, I forgot how judgmental and assuming everyone on forums are. Instead of asking questions like normal grown-ups you jump right in for the kill. That's awesome. So, now I have to "defend" myself like I'm some sort criminal, that's just great. What are you, all the trolls from Facebook that got kicked out of the groups?

First of all.. understand that my version of my horse being skinny means she is basically not a steer off to butcher. I work at a barn with several National, Res. National and Regional Champion Arabians, so I like them looking like they are about to step into a National or World ring even if they are pasture puffs so ANY lack of muscling or fat to me is unacceptable. She's eating literally all she can eat.. there are no excuses except that she wasn't being cared for by me for the first 9 months of her last pregnancy. That's not an excuse, that's a fact lol.

Secondly, vet is coming out next week, I forgot to mention that in my OP. He did glance at her once after she weaned the last foal and he didn't seemed concerned, just told me that she "probably needs more muscling". Mind you, I only had him "look" while he was there doing something with my stallion, I did not pay for an exam on her at that time. I also asked the chiro about it and she wasn't concerned either. I only got the idea in my head that there might be something more going on when a Dressage barn I follow on Facebook got a case of Kissing Spine, and while this doesn't look to be the case on her, I was wondering about Sacroiliac pain.

Thirdly, she's never been lame a day in her life,she never once complained about being saddled besides being a tad cinchy (so unless you want to imply that every cinchy horse is in pain you can stop telling me I did something wrong) - she never hollowed out her back, she never shied away from the saddle, she never danced around in the crossties, never bucked, never shied away from the mounting block, never moved while mounting, you can touch and press on the bump and she has no reaction - literally NO SIGNS OF PAIN - so get off my back like she's been seriously injured and I just happened to not notice.

For anyone "worried" I am starving her here she is... current as of this week, it's cell pictures from my Facebook video, I had to reset my phone last night and lost about 100 photos so this will have to do. Anyone wanting to see the actual video just needs to PM me. Does she look phenomenal? No. That's why she's eating like a Clydesdale (actually more than a Clyde).

Maybe instead of immediately jumping to the worst case scenario, you should be like an adult and ask more questions.

Wow, I forgot how judgmental and assuming everyone on forums are. Instead of asking questions like normal grown-ups you jump right in for the kill. That's awesome. So, now I have to "defend" myself like I'm some sort criminal, that's just great. What are you, all the trolls from Facebook that got kicked out of the groups?

Click to expand...

Oh Good grief, grow up.......If we are all so judgemental and assuming, why did you come here to ask a question....The first answer summed it up, no mention of what your vet has said, ask a vet.

You asked for no other comments, could be read as you don't want questions either, it is the sort of opening comment that puts peoples backs up.

As to the Trolls getting kicked out of face book, well actually sweetie that is just what YOU sound like. The regular posters here are not trolls...

If your lactating mare is loosing condition or underweight, feed more energy, however you can.
No excuses. None. Some mammals milk more than others, some pour every ounce of fat and protein and energy they have.
So, feed them more, SAFELY. Drastic weight loss is not good for a new mom.
Other than that. . . I will not say anything.

One of my pet peeves is any variation of the phrase "she's thin because she is lactating!"
No, she's thin because you are not feeding her properly. If you are feeding a lactating female all she can eat and she is still thin? You are feeding the wrong thing, or she is sick, get a vet (or doctor if it's a person lol)